


Sort of, Kind of, Maybe

by HorribleTemerity



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Comfort, Gaz hangs with them, Honestly just fluff, i recommend reading the summary, might jump from ZADR to ZADF depending on the word of the week, some angst somewhere in this pile of fluff, stories might not line up properly, they are trying to figure it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28595475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HorribleTemerity/pseuds/HorribleTemerity
Summary: Pretty much I found a thirty random word list and each week (or sooner (maybe later) depends on my mood) I'll post the story that I got from the word, the stories will connect unless I say they don't. They will all be about Invader Zim, probably a lot of ZADR or just Dib, Zim, and Gaz hanging out, I don't really know but anyway, this is my first time writing and posting something like this so I hope you guys like it! Much love - HorribleTemerity
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim), ZADF - Relationship, ZaDr - Relationship
Kudos: 16





	Sort of, Kind of, Maybe

Today's Word is...... HOPE

Zim recoiled from the fist that had been thrown out at him, the revolting pink flesh nearing closer at an exceptionally quick pace. The irken expanded the multiple artificial legs from his PAK, the four sharp points digging into the floor and giving his movement an extra lurch as he avoided the human’s attack. 

The black-haired boy stumbled a bit on his feet, the smallest of surprised yelps leaving his mouth as he spun around to righten himself just as the invader lept forward, “Disgusting human-pig!” He bellowed, PAK legs swinging down to impale the soft human skin. Despite the irken’s speed and upper hand, fighting Zim over the course of multiple years had given Dib the chance to learn a few things.  
“When will you learn to keep your stinky toes OUT OF ZIM’S BUSINESS!”

“It’s NOSE Zim, not toes!” With a bold dodge, Dib dived away, clattering harshly against the coffee table of Zim’s house, and scrambled to get away, not leaving a single thought to rest at the pain running up his side from the blunt wood. Dib didn’t glance behind him as he heard the sharp fractures as a PAK leg dug into the tabletop, causing an explosion of splinters that pelted Dib in a shower. “Zim can you just-”

“NO!” The irken swung another PAK leg down in fury, his bones hot with the rage flooding his system, locking away his hurt somewhere deep within. “JUST SHUT UP AND DIE EARTH-RAT!”  
Dib yelled out when a PAK leg snagged his arm, searing pain pulsating from the cleanly cut wound but what stung more was Zim’s horrible cackles racing around the house. So much for Dib trying to help the stupid irken. Dib avoided another PAK leg and lunged forward, throwing a punch that met with a satisfying crack against Zim’s jaw that caused the irken to trip back, pack legs going unfocused and clattering uselessly around him. Zim let out painful chirps, shaking his head madly before he hit the floor and Dib kicked from the floor quickly, grabbing the irken’s arms and slamming them to the floor before he could fully recover. Dib made sure to press Zim’s back to the floor so he couldn’t unfold the PAK legs and impale him. 

Zim screeched so loudly it came close to making Dib’s ears bleed but he persevered, tightening his grip on Zim’s wrists until he knew he would leave bruises, “Zim for fuck’s sake STOP!” Dib yelled and Zim blinked up at him frantically with wide ruby eyes, face twisted in fury, the long black antennae perking over his eyes with an aggression, jade skin flushed in rage, and pointed teeth bared. Something shifted in Zim’s face and if Dib hadn’t been paying close attention, he would have missed what appeared to be sheer fear crossing his animated face.

“Get your MASSIVE head off of ZIIIM!!!” He panted, antenna swatting at Dib’s face and the human gritted his teeth, tired of the irken’s games.

“My head IS NOT THAT BIG!” Dib bit back, hot sweat dripping down his temple, lungs exasperated for air. “And I didn’t come over here to fight you-”

“Then what are you doing now Dib-Filth!?” Zim interrupted, spitting up at Dib’s face followed by another antenna wack onto Dib’s nose.

“ZIM! Let me speak for 10 SECONDS!” Dib yelled and the irken huffed sharply but closed his mouth and Dib exhaled slowly, taking the silence for confirmation to let him talk. “I didn’t come over here to fight you,” Dib said each word slowly “I’m here to…” He looked away, gritting his teeth sharply. “I’m here to… check up on you.” Zim gave him a disbelieving work, hitting the skin under Dib’s eye with another antenna, and the human nearly bit into the sensitive black censor. Nearly. “I’m telling the truth! You haven’t shown up to school for a month! I haven’t seen you for a month! And when I came over here you were all mopey and looking depressed-”

“You were stalking Zim?” The alien invader gave him a startled look but Dib didn’t know why, through their years Dib had been somewhat stalking him, waiting for Zim to slip up or expose his future evil plan.

“I- That isn’t the point! What’s going on Zim?” Dib shot down at him and the tiny irken squirmed under him without a response. “Zim” The human repeated firmly.

Zim looked away, antenna slumping from Dib’s face in a pouty manner before falling out of his eyes and laying back limply. “Zim is fine.”

“That is bullshit and you know it” Dib spat back and Zim flattened more against the floor like he was trying to disappear under it. 

“Why- Why do you care?” Zim shot back quickly and Dib sighed, grip tightening all the more on the tiny wrists. There was a long moment of silence as the two sat there, Dib staring at the averted ruby eyes that reflected him back ever so slightly, the green skin looked to be an unhealthy shade darker under those large eyes and Dib’s lips drew into a thin line. 

“I don’t know,” Dib murmured, finally giving in to the exhaustion and worry that had built upon his shoulders. “I just… I just do.” Now it was Dib’s turn to avoid Zim’s eyes, looking at the floor behind the irken’s head, his thoughts a panicked ball of tangled string.

“Zim is- I am confused,” Zim said in a low voice, so unlike the irken that Dib was immediately yanked from his foggy head, he inhaled sharply when he focused on ruby eyes that softened ever so slightly.

“Why?” Dib pressed, surprised he got the usually emotionless irken to open up.

“On what to do now,” Zim’s voice shuddered with each word and Dib furrowed his brow and was about to ask but Zim went on. “I have discovered something, something that makes me feel very much...” He pursed his lips, his thoughts quickly searching for a word to use and he hissed out a huff. “Painful.”

Dib waited a moment to see if the irken would continue and when he didn’t, Dib felt the urge to assist. “And that is…?” Zim’s brow immediately furrowed and he once again looked away, the cold base looking dark and gloomy other than the muted TV and Zim’s pink PAK lights blinking through the dark, outside rain pelted the window in a melancholy tune, usually Zim would be underground in his base when it rained, in fear of anything happening and his skin getting burned but he had completely turned off for weeks now and had not noticed the clouds building up to let out their disgusting juices.

“Zim is- I am-” The irken let out an irritated noise, why couldn’t he find the words!?! “I have discovered that-” Zim’s stomach rolled and he suddenly had the urge to throw up, ugh what an embarrassing sight he was. Swallowing bile back thickly he sucked in a deep breath, glanced to the spotted brown amber eyes above him, hidden by thin black rims, his pale face tainted not just by the forming bruise on his jaw but also by the darker colors under his eyes, more so than usual. Scraggly hair fell untamed around his head and it looked to be not done for a long time, thin lips were set in a thinner line as his features had yet to move from Zim’s expression. When the human caught Zim looking at him, Dib gave him an encouraging nod which made Zim’s stomach roll all the more. “Release Zim.”

“No.”

“Now.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” Dib held firmly and Zim hissed between his teeth, muttering something in irken about removing Dib’s organs before he paused his persistent squirming.

Zim stared up at him with narrowed eyes, glaring for such a long time that Dib thought he was trying to set his hair on fire with just the look before he gave into a sigh. “Computer,” Zim yelled out, “Call the Tallest!” 

The muted TV screen fluttered to pink, casting the two in a bright glow, the black irken symbol flashing on and off in steady beats, three dots below it blinking, a minute went by and Dib pursed his lips, brows furrowing in confusion, and then the irken symbol paused and words replaced the three dots, the computer read them out. ‘Unable to Connect to Irken Armada, Try Again?’

“Again,” Zim whispered and Dib’s head snapped to the irken’s face and he sucked in a deep breath, the familiar sheen in those ruby eyes dulled into a grey scaled pink and they seemed to stare hopelessly at the screen and when Dib looked back to it, the same words read across it. “Again,” Zim repeated, his voice breaking down all the more and Dib was unsure about the tightness in his chest. This wasn’t Zim. No Zim was the villain that didn’t feel any remorse, this was Zim who would kill billions for his Empire, the persistent idiot of an alien who couldn’t tell apart a human weapon and candy. This Zim was so… lifeless.

Dib hated it.

“Do you see now?” Zim said, looking up at Dib with a defeated look and the human wanted nothing more than to shake him, yell at him, make him keep fighting. 

“See what?” Dib said pulling away slowly, something telling him that Zim wasn’t going to run away and the irken sat up against the cold floor, pulling his legs to his chest, eyes droopy and he didn’t seem to be looking at Dib.

“Zim was abandoned to rot on this planet,” The irken rasped out, “The armada had severed connection with him, there is no point in trying to take over your planet, no point in doing anything anymore.”

“Zim is alone.”

If Dib wasn’t going to hug him, he sure was now when he saw the edges of the irken’s eyes brim with some strange substance and Dib took it to be alien tears, he lunged forward pinning the irken’s shoulders with his arms and pressing him to his chest, burrowing his face into Zim’s small shoulder, at first the irken squirmed in panic but fell into ease when he didn’t feel any hurt from the attack, he merely stood there awkwardly, finding the warmth to ease something in him and he leaned forward, burrowing his face into Dib’s long shoulder, something in him cracking open and spilling out in waves as thick pink tears dripped down his face, he was so unused to the agony, the pain swallowing him whole as his body shuddered violently with sobs. 

“It will…” Dib began, squeezing the irken tighter, he felt so small in Dib’s arms all the human wanted to do was keep him hidden from everything, try to muffle his pain in any way possible. “It will be okay.”

“How do you know?” The irken rasped in response, “The armada was Zim’s- was MY everything Dib! There is nothing left for me other than the slow demise the tallest always planned for me.”  
Dib clenched his teeth, “It doesn’t have to be, you can try… you can try having a life here, you don’t need to keep fighting anymore Zim.”

Zim pulled back this time, their faces inches away as he reached his face and started to violently rub at the thick pink tear like substance dripping down his cheeks with one hand, Dib had Zim’s elbows gripped in a gentle squeeze as he watched the irken take a few deep shuddering breaths. “A life. On earth?” Zim said in a dumbfounded tone, voice shivering before he cleared it a bit with a rough cough.  
Dib made a face, wondering if he did something wrong, maybe the irken was just going to leave the planet and that made the human’s body go into a very cold zone, the idea of living without this horribly annoying alien felt like a truck hitting him head-on. “Yeah, I don’t know…. Zim please, just… don’t leave earth.”

Zim blinked at him for a few moments, giving a weird sniff although he lacked a nose, just a slight absent bump where one should have been. “I won’t have anywhere to go,” Zim replied with a mumble, he glanced down at Dib’s hands holding his elbows and there was a moment of long silence before Zim set his jaw and gave a confident nod, meeting Dib’s eyes again. “This horrible stink ball of a planet will be an okay home,” He decided, and Dib nearly cried out in relief when he saw those monotone eyes flood with pink and red shades, his antenna perking up again. 

“Just okay?” Dib managed to tease through the joy spilling out of his chest and Zim snorted.

“It’s Earth, Dib, you expect more?” Zim raised an eyebrow, still rubbing the skin under his eye where the pink substance refused to move.  
Something flooded Zim’s chest, a feeling of confidence for a brighter future as he stared into Dib’s amber speckled brown eyes, he had no idea what the next steps would take but something made him want to take them and he would once he got off the floor, he would figure this earth life out or so help him he would burn it all down in the process. He raked his PAK quickly for the right word, the English dictionary buzzing by at a quick pace before he finally found something close to what he was feeling. 

Hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, you uh, you uh made it! Again this is my first time posting such a thing so yeah um... hope you liked it! Hope you stick around...


End file.
